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2007
A LEARNING YEAR FOR GOAT PRODUCERS
By
Carol L. Spence
(2008) – A devastating drought and rising feed costs made 2007 a
tough year for goat producers across the state. But according to
University
of
Kentucky
experts, those producers who choose to stay in the business are indicative of
the industry’s maturing.
“I think we’re at a turning point,” said
Terry Hutchens, UK Cooperative Extension associate for goat management. He is
referring to the shift from an industry built primarily on breeding stock to one
that focuses more on goats for the meat markets.
“A lot of people sold lots of females off
just to make it through the winter,” he said. “I think maybe 20, 25 percent
of the does have been sold, and there will probably be a slow rebuilding
period.”
UK Agronomy Specialist David Ditsch agrees
that a tough production year has brought a change to the industry’s landscape.
“You’re beginning to see folks who see the
potential and are willing to make the investment in capital and labor getting
into it and doing a better job with it. Those who thought it was going to be
something that didn’t require too much effort and management realized quickly
that it is, and they’re getting out. So there’s a little shifting going on,
but there’s still a huge demand in this country for goat meat. And as I
understand it, half of the demand is currently being met by imports. So there is
still a huge opportunity here in this country to capitalize on that.”
Ditsch expects the next big jump in goat
numbers in
Kentucky
to come from beef cattle producers who start adding goats to their enterprises.
“I think, with more research and a lot of
demonstrations, you will see beef cattle producers begin to consider the value
of goats in their beef cattle operations,” he said. “Maybe it’s just for
weed control, maybe it’s just trying to diversify and get the most out of
their pastures that they can, so they can market another product.”
Ditsch, who is based at Robinson Station, has
been studying companion grazing techniques using beef cattle and goats.
“The difference in weed control on this farm
is amazing since we’ve had goats on it,” he said. “They’re basically
eradicating multiple rose and honeysuckle and iron weed and some of those (types
of weeds). They’re really putting some pressure on it without the use of
chemicals or mowing equipment. I can see some beef cattle producers feeling like
that’s to their advantage. They’re able to utilize an undesirable species, a
weed species, and grow some goats that they can market.”
There are other aspects to take into account,
however, he said. Fencing is an investment because it takes more fence to
contain goats than it does cows. Predator control is also an issue to consider.
Hutchens said this is a good time for
producers to consider their game plan.
“Over the past five years, we have been
talking about the need for a more forage-based enterprise. Getting the correct
number of animals per acre, buying better hay, hay testing, using more than one
forage species in a pasture and getting more prepared for the future,” he
said. “We’ve been talking about that, but this is the first time I think
it’s really hit home (with producers). But that’s what can happen in a
drought situation and in a high cost of feed situation.”
He and Ditsch recommend using the spring
period to get things ready by evaluating the forage base in pastures and
checking for potential problems brought on by overgrazing.
“It’s very common to overstock,” said
Ditsch. “Too many goats for the amount of pastureland that is available;
that’s the number one problem. Then managing the pasture that you have to keep
your forage crop productive and coming back, persistent and offering it at its
highest quality.”
He said that staying within the three to six
head per acre range is a good idea. That number of head not only gives the
pasture a chance to recover from grazing pressure, but it also reduces potential
parasite infestations that arise from grazing short growth.
Besides taking the spring months to reevaluate
the stocking rate, Ditsch says February and March are the months to do some
reseeding of legumes such as white and red clovers.
“Goats are small ruminants and clovers are
high quality forage, so producers really should consider making sure it’s part
of their pasture,” he said.
And while he and Hutchens promote a mixed
pasture of clover and grass, including some summer annuals such as sorghum-sudangrass
or millet, Ditsch warns against some of the highly mixed seed blends that are
being sold as goat blends.
“I’m really trying to caution producers
because a lot of those blends will include species that just aren’t that
compatible in terms of getting them established and trying to manage them,” he
said, referring to different growth cycles between species. “Some are
vegetative while some are at the seed head stage. And if you’ve got other weed
problems you want to deal with, it’s hard to selectively take some weed
problems out without damaging other species.”
Hutchens says that producers are starting to
see the whole picture.
“Most of the producers that have gotten into
it do not have previous livestock experience. They’ve been very animal
oriented and they haven’t seen the pasture yet. But I think these weather
conditions and costs are going to make them look at it in a broader way and see
it more as a farming system, rather than as a specific animal production
system.”
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